Digital BW, The Print

Paul, 

If I want to try UT/C82 today, what C82 cartridges, inks and/or 
tools I have to order? Do you recommend waiting for pre-filled 
cartridges or refilling is easy enough? Thanks.


Darko


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> Jim,
> 
> > What would you all recommend as an affordable basic setup
> >consisting of a printer, inks, papers, software, and perhaps a 
scanner?
> 
> I just finished my "affordable & easy" printer project.  I've been
> determined to bring archival B&W to even non-technical types for as 
little
> initial $ outlay as possible, and I think it's done.  My target has 
been the
> genealogists and scrapbook makers who need to be able to copy, 
restore, and
> archival old family photos, but this is a solution that is also 
ideal for
> anyone who wants a simple, basic but very good archival printing 
system.
> (Have you noticed how many of the people who lost their homes to 
fire
> mentioned the loss of their old family photos as most heart-
breaking.  The
> valuable old ones should have been copied and given to relatives.  
It's the
> best insurance.)
> 
> While the Epson 1280 with MIS Ultra Tone ("UT") inks is the most 
flexible,
> state-of-the-art combination, the Epson C82 with UT-derived inks is 
the
> affordable, easy way to go.
> 
> With the C82 there are no RIPs or special software.  Just print the 
B&W
> files from any application.  There are some Epson driver settings 
that
> matter (EEM paper type, "Best Photo", ICM, No Color Adjustment, 
High Speed
> off).  But this is about as simple as it gets.
> 
> The C82 is at the end of it's life cycle, but they are still 
available from
> $69.  Epson probably has refurbished ones and others have new 
ones.  The
> refurbs are as good as new and covered by a new warranty.
> 
> The C82 is made for pigmented inks, using the Epson Durabrite inks 
for
> color.  These are as durable as (probably the same as) the Epson 
UltraChrome
> color pigments.  For color, these are fine for archival storage and 
display.
> They have a 70+ year display life.
> 
> The inks for B&W are from MIS (www.inksupply.com).  They are based 
on the
> Ultra Tone inks.  This is a pigmented inkset which uses 
predominantly carbon
> black.  For the warm C82 ink, the UT light cyan is perfect.  It 
goes into
> all the color positions of the C82.  The black ink is MIS Eboni.
> 
> For a neutral (slight "selenium" tone), I've just finished the 
formula.  It
> basically ads 14% blue (cyan + magenta pigments) to the UT medium 
gray.
> 
> MIS will pre-load these inks into cartridges and, I assume, also 
sell them
> as bulk inks.  I expect them to load the carts ASAP.
> 
> These inks, in the UT or raw form, have been more fade resistant in 
my
> initial fade testing than have the Epson Archival inks, which have 
been
> rated at 200+ years of display life by Epson.  The carbon ink in 
the UT
> inkset will probably last longer than our civilization when printed 
on
> buffered cotton paper and stored appropriately; they are very 
archival from
> what I can tell.
> 
> The best papers for the system are Epson Enhanced Matte for medium 
term,
> very affordable display.  (It's acidic, so it's rated at only 110 
years of
> dark storage by Wilhelm.  High humidity and temperature could 
shorten this
> significantly.  It's my main paper for general printing.)  For a 
cotton
> paper that should be archival, Hahnemuhle PhotoRag is the most 
popular and
> what I recommend for the C82.  It gives a dmax of 1.60, which is 
very
> competitive for a cotton paper.  www.MediaStreet.com sells this 
as "Royal
> Renaissance" for a reasonable price.
> 
> For the old-photo restoration folks, Epson and Canon both have good 
flatbed
> scanners for about $50.  If you do film get a 4000 dpi Nikon or 
equivalent.
> 
> For basic, affordable image editing the $50 version of Picture 
Window seems
> to be the way to go.  A trial program can be downloaded from 
Digital Light &
> Color at http://www.dl-c.com/Temp/.  One advantage to this program 
is that
> is can use the Photoshop image adjustment curves that are needed to 
control
> many of the more complex, partitioned B&W inksets if you want to 
migrate to,
> for example, the 1280 & UT inkset for large (13") paper.
> 
> Enjoy the journey.
> 
> Paul
> http://www.PaulRoark.com